Who’s in the Zone? Inside Britney Spears’ Inner Circle

Britney Spears didn’t always have an easy time maintaining friendships under the strict rules of her conservatorship.

“People don’t know this, but when I did Vegas, I was never allowed to go to the spa,” the 40-year-old singer wrote via Instagram in January 2022. “They didn’t want me having coffee or tea, so my friends from home would show up going to the spas drinking champagne no lie and I was the loser working and entertaining them at night … doesn’t sound like a good deal to me either !!!!”

Spears was placed under a conservatorship in 2008 after a series of public struggles amid her divorce from Kevin Federline. For 13 years, her father, Jamie Spears, was in charge of her life, both personally and professionally, In the New York Times’ documentary Framing Britney Spears, the “Toxic” singer’s former assistant Felicia Culotta alleged that she and many others who were once close to the star had been pushed out of her life by her father and management team.

“Once the conservatorship started my role changed,” Britney’s former employee claimed in the documentary. “When I went back, it was a different business management and her dad was involved so [her team] did not hire me, the touring company hired me. I don’t know why the Britney company didn’t hire me, all I know is that maybe they didn’t know the role I played earlier. So, I took a backseat and I simply did what I was hired to do.” Culotta later revealed that she no longer has any way to contact Britney.

Once the conservatorship was lifted in November 2021, the “Sometimes” singer continuously took to social media to publicly slam all of the people who she felt didn’t stand up for her over the years — including her mom, Lynne Spears, and younger sister Jamie Lynn.

“There’s nothing worse than when the people closest to you who never showed up for you post things in regard to your situation whatever it may be and speak righteously for support … there’s nothing worse than that,” the Crossroads star wrote in July 2021. “How dare the people you love the most say anything at all. … If you’re reading this and you know who you are … and you actually have the nerve to say anything about my situation just to save face for yourself publicly !!!”

Recently, Britney has been spending a lot of time with her new assistant, Victoria Asher. “I swear my new assistant is f–king unbelievable ,” she gushed via Instagram in April 2022, along with a video of her kissing the musician on the cheek while they snuggled with Britney’s dog, Sawyer. “She has so much grace and patience shooting my silly self … she’s my rock … Love ya mamacita .”